Minister Musings

Nonfiction Book Club – Fall 2017

Join us on Friday, Oct. 20 at 7 p.m. at the home of Lane Owsley and Alaine Davis for a discussion of the WUUC Nonfiction Book selection. We will meet to discuss “Hillbilly Elegy”by J.D. Vance.

On the checklist of modern privilege, Mr. Vance, 31, has the top four in the bag: He is white, male, straight and Protestant. But his profile is misleading. His people — hillbillies, rednecks, white trash, choose your epithet (or term of affection, depending on your point of view) — didn’t step off the Mayflower and become part of America’s ascendant class. “Poverty is the family tradition,” he writes. His ancestors and kin were sharecroppers, coal miners, machinists, millworkers — all low-paying, body-wearying occupations that over the years have vanished or offered diminished security.

… Mr. Vance [offers] a compassionate, discerning sociological analysis of the white underclass that has helped drive the politics of rebellion, particularly the ascent of Donald J. Trump. Combining thoughtful inquiry with firsthand experience, Mr. Vance has inadvertently provided a civilized reference guide for an uncivilized election, and he’s done so in a vocabulary intelligible to both Democrats and Republicans.

Imagine that.

– Jennifer Senior, TheNew York Times

Four times a year, the WUUC Book Discussion Group gathers to read and talk about a nonfiction book. You only attend the meetings about books that interest you, so we end up with a different group of participants every time. We meet on a Friday evening to connect, share a meal, and talk about a book in depth. Anyone is welcome to suggest a book and/or lead a discussion. Contact Alaine, alaine.davis@yahoo.com, to RSVP, suggest a book, or offer to host a future discussion.